Railroad-track-rail-gage holder and brace therefor.



No. 796,818. PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

J. H. CROWLEY.

RAILROAD TRACK RAIL GAGE HOLDER AND BRAGE THEREFOR. APPLICATION FILED Nov. 29, 1904.

WITNESSES: Z 5 INVENTOI? W 67 10 5w 1 9 ATTORNEYS JOHN HENRY CROWLEY, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

RAlLROAD-TRACK-RAlL-GAGE HOLDER AND BRACE THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed November 29, 1904. Serial No. 234,809.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN HENRY CROWLEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Track-Rail Gage Holder and Braces Therefor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has for its object to provide a transverse gage-bar of an essentially T-rail form to be clamped near each end thereof upon the base-flanges of two spaced track-rails between the cross-ties whereon the track-rails are seated, the gage-bar being inverted and the base-flanges thereon secured in contact with the base-flanges on the track-rails on their lower surfaces by novel brace-clamps and abutment-flanges secured on the end portions of the gage-bar, whereby the track-rails are held from lateral displacement and properly gaged and the outer sides of the track-rails braced to resist load strain and the lateral sway of the rolling-stock.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the subjoined claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a transverse sectional view of two track-rails and a side view of the improved gage-holder and rail-braces thereon. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a track-rail in part and an end portion of the improved gage-bar and clamps secured on said bar and embracing the base-flange and web of the track-rail. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the improvement on the line 4 I in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through the gage bar and clamps thereon substantially on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 2, the track-rails 6 6 of the usual T form are supported. at a proper gage or distance apart on cross-ties 7, the latter being seated and spaced on a suitable road-bed, (not shown,) thus disposing the rails parallel with each other for service, and it is to be understood that the improvement to be described is in proper number positioned between the cross-ties and engaged with the track-rails, serving to hold them in place, and as these gage-bars and lateral supports for the trackrails are similar a description of one bar and its attachments will suffice for an indefinite number employed on a railroad-track-line.

Each gage-bar 8 is formed of T-rail or rail material having substantially that form and having a length proportioned to the gage or width between the track-rails when in place on the cross-ties and extends a suitable distance outside of the base-flanges of said trackrails. The gage-bar 8 is held in position with the base-flanges a thereon clamped upon the base-flanges a of the track-rails 6 6 by a clamping abutment-flange at the inner baseflange of each track-rail and a clamping-flange at the outer base-flange of each track-rail, which also serves as a brace for said trackrail by contact with its web 6.

Each abutment-flange is in the form of a clip-band 9, that is shaped to receive the baseflanges a of the gage bar 8 and embrace them,

as well as the web 8 of the gage-bar, the upper wall of the clip-band 9, that is thickened, extending as a flange 9 from one end of said clip-band and inclining upward slightly, so as to permit said flange to bear upon an adjacent base-flange a of a respective trackrail 6.

The clip-band 9 is secured upon the gagebar 8 by a bolt 6, that is passed through alined perforations in the side members of said band and the web 8 of the gage-bar, as shown in Fig. 4, a nut I) on an end of the bolt 6 serving to clamp these members closely upon said web.

The positions of the abutment-flanges 9 on the gage-bar 8 are such that when the trackrails 6 have contact with these flanges they will be disposed at a proper distance from each other, insuring a standard gage for the railroad-track.

The clamping brace-flange 10 at the outer side of each track-rail 6 is formed integral with a clip-band 10, that embraces the flanges a of the gage-bar 8 and also contacts with the web 8 on a projecting end portion of the gage-bar outside of a respective track-rail 6. As shown, the clamping-flanges 10 are extended over the outer base-flanges a of the track-rails 6 6, bearing thereon and also pressing against the web 6 of said track-rails for support of the same when the clip-bands 10 are secured upon the web 8 of the gage-bar. To this end the depending flanges of each clip-band 10*, which embrace the web 8, are perforated in alinement with mating perforations in said web, bolts 0, having nuts 0 thereon, serving to clamp the clip-bands firmly in place, with the flanges 10 bearing upon the base-flanges a and also against the track-rail webs, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

It will be obvious that if the track-rails 6 are secured by spikes (not shown) on the crossties 7 at a distance apart that represents the standard gage of the railroad and the improved gage-bars are secured upon the trackrails at proper intervals between the crossties these gage-bars and the clamping means attached thereto will prevent the slightest spreading apart of the track-rails. It will also be evident that the enforced contact of the ends of the clamping-flanges 10 against the outer sides of the rail-webs 6 will afford reliable support thereto and prevent the slightest rocking movement of the heads of the rails on curves when the sway of loaded freight-cars imposes heavy lateral pressure outward againstthe webs and heads of the track-rails.

Slight changes within the scope of my invention may be resorted t0as, for example, the gage-bars may be disposed with their heads against the base-flanges of the trackrails and the clamping means be arranged as already described, but have bearing upon the rail-heads instead of upon the base-flanges of the gage-bars.

It is also to be understood that the ordinary street-railway-track rails may be utilized as gage-bars, as these rails have webs and baseflanges which will coact with the clampingflanges to hold the track-rails in position.

It is of obvious advantage to use T-rail material for the manufacture of the improved gage-bars, as this enables the utilizing of old worn-out track-rails for the purpose. Furthermore, the structural form of T-rail material gives a maximum strength to these bars in proportion to their weight and adapts them to resist imposed strain in an effective manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A track-rail-gage holder and brace, comprising a gage-bar of T-rail which is inverted so as to dispose the base-flanges thereon above the ball, an abutment-flange secured on the base-flanges of said gagebar near each end thereof and adapted for contactwith the inner base-flange on a respective track-rail, and two outer clamping-flanges mounted uponthe baseflanges of the gage-bar at its ends, said clamping-flanges respectively bearing upon the outer base-flanges of the track-rails and also having integral portions adapted for impingement upon the webs of said track-rails.

2. The combination with cross-ties and two spaced lines of track-rails thereon, of a plurality of track-rail-gage holders and clampingbraces, each comprising a gage-bar of T-rail material, having base-flanges held engaged with the base-flanges on the track-rails, and clamping means for holding the gage bar thereon, consisting of two abutments each embodying a clip-band mounted and secured upon the gage-bar, each adapted for a clamping engagement with the base flanges and web of said gage-bar, and an integral clamping-flange extended from the clip-band over and bearing upon an inner base-flange of a respective track-rail, and two other clamping-flanges each held impinged upon the outer base-flange and web of a respective track-rail by an integral clip-band which engages an outer end portion of the gage-bar and is secured thereon, said clip-band having an integral clamping-flange projected at one end thereof and bearing on an adjacent base-flange and against a web portion of a respective track-rail.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HENRY CROWLEY.

Witnesses:

WM. 0. SARGENT, J. B. GREENFIELD'. 

